Hyunjin's p.o.v.
It didn't matter how long it took, or when it would happen, or who the first target was.
Sicarius was already dead.
That thought was the only thing that kept Hyunjin running, the fantasy of blowing their heads open, stabbing them through the heart and twisting, the light in their eyes slowly fading as they experienced the same pain that he was now in.
The group was gathered in the living room, Chan having just gotten off the phone with Taeyong; Nari's brother was on his way, bringing one of his units with him, including Chenle, who was so distraught that he had begged to be present at their meeting.
There was nothing the boys could do as they waited, no way that they could help their captured members. Chan sank down onto the couch, blaming himself, repeating aloud that he shouldn't have let the two youngest go off on their own without protection.
Changbin clapped his leader on the shoulder, squeezing lightly but not speaking, trying to comfort him without angering him. It didn't really work, Chan resting his face in his hands as he despaired.
Unable to sit still, Minho paced on the floor, his fist placed on his mouth to hide his deep frown. Felix and Jisung also sat, their postures full of anxiety and worry, faces creased with concern as they thought of their younger friends.
Breaking his usual poker face, Seungmin's lips were pursed until they turned white, his mind running wild as he imagined what his members were going through at that moment.
Hyunjin just stood, face still but hands restless, wanting to hold his members safely in them once again. His eyes skimmed over the others, and he became confused, counting their heads quickly to make sure he wasn't mistaken. And he wasn't. Someone else was missing.
"Where's Woojin hyung?"
Chan's head snapped up, lips ready with a response, until he realized that he didn't know either. But he dismissively waved his hand. "He's probably still upstairs in the surveillance room. Felix, go check on him?"
The boy nodded solemnly, padding out of the room with light steps. No one seemed bothered by the oldest's absence, having been used to the lack of his presence, his dedication to keeping them safe never questioned.
But Felix bolted back into the room, his face white as a sheet and his eyes overflowing with panic. "He's not upstairs. I couldn't find him anywhere."
Chan's breathing sped up, his heart barely able to take any more bad news. He half rose from his seat, hand going to his phone so he could dial his member's number.
The phone rang and rang, and the boy didn't pick up. But Chan couldn't stop; he dialed twice, four times, eight times. Minho finally had enough and snatched the phone out his hyung's shaking hands, his gaze gentle.
"Chan... "
"No," the leader responded, verging on sounding hysterical. "He's just running an errand, or maybe he had to - "
"Chan!"
The room fell silent after Minho's outburst, hands fisted as he exhaled harshly. "He's not here!"
Those words seemed to snap something in Chan, and he surged up, grabbing the nearest breakable thing, which happened to be a vase, and flung it at a wall. The other boys flinched as the material shattered, bits of pottery going everywhere.
"No, damn it!" he hollered, face turning red as the veins on his neck rose. He continued to throw random objects at the wall as he let his fear and frustration pour out. "I promised that I would keep us together! We said that we would never leave each other, and because of me, that promise means nothing! They're gone!"
His voice broke on his last word, and Chan sank down to the floor, sorrow coming out in the form of bitter tears. All the others could do was watch, feeling the same as their leader but still frozen as they watched him break.
Only the sharp knock on the front door roused them, and Chan unashamedly stood and walked to the door in a daze, still sniffing his tears back.
He pulled the wide door open, revealing Taeyong's sharp face, eyes extremely shadowed as he gazed inside. Without waiting for the word, he stepped inside and waved his unit, NCT 127, into the building as well.
Mark was the first to come into the light, his eyes wide as he nodded towards Stray Kids, taking in the beautiful foyer. Taeil, Jungwoo, and Donghyuck filed in next, bowing politely and offering bright smiles, then freezing as they realized sunny attitudes weren't the best given the situation.
Next came Johnny, Yuta, Jaehyun, and Doyoung, their intimating auras swamping the room immediately, heights towering over all others in the room. Lastly came Chenle, his eyes slightly puffy and nose red as he gazed blankly around the foyer.
After the door slammed shut behind his last member, Taeyong didn't waste any time, storming straight up to Chan.
"Where is she now?"
Chan inhaled shakily, running a hand through his hair. "We think they took her, Jeongin, and Woojin to Sicarius's Seoul based headquarters."
NCT's leader took a step back, blowing a slow, deliberate breath out as he gathered his thoughts and forced himself to focus in spite of the fact that his little sister was in terrible danger. His gears began to turn as he came up with a plan.
"Alright... alright. Three of your members are missing, but we can accomplish this without them anyway."
Eyebrows turning down, Chan frowned curiously, a tiny ray of hope igniting in his chest. "Accomplish what?"
Taeyong smiled slightly, eyes lightening the tiniest bit. "Don't you worry, Chan. We're breaking out your members tonight."
° ° °
tw // semi-detailed torture, c*tting //
Nari's p.o.v.
They were two hours in. So far, she had lost four fingernails, had her pinky broken one bone at a time, and been untied and shoved into one of the room's corners, beaten until she couldn't see through her right eye.
And she hadn't budged.
Now she was back in the chair, coughing up blood as her tormentor twirled a scalpel in his hands, hungry eyes greedily eating up her pain.
"Let's ask a new question. What relations does Stray Kids have with other gangs? Ties, truces, allies? If any, of course," he purred in a silky voice, trying to chisel away at her willpower.
But Nari answered simply, her voice nonchalant as she spoke, only betrayed by her hard breathing and secret terror, her mind going in a million different directions as she tried to distract herself from the present situation. "Nothing, and no one. We're kind of loners," she croaked, a cheeky, trembling smile creeping across her face.
The man wasn't amused, however. "It's not fucking funny," he snarled, barely able to reel in his violent behavior.
Nari managed to let a small chuckle slip out, her heart pounding. "It's funny watching you fail to coerce me."
The man's face turned deep red, and he grasped his scalpel tightly and stood abruptly, seizing her wrist and slamming it down on her chair's armrest.
The blade whipped down and hovered over the girl's delicate skin, her eyes as large as lollipops as she braced herself.
"One more chance, darling," he hissed harshly, digging his fingers into her wrist for emphasis.
And she stayed silent, wouldn't look at him, acknowledge his presence. She was alone in this room, in the sense that she was the only soul in this room. The man sitting in front of her obviously didn't have one.
His patience eventually ran out, and he swept the scalpel down, slicing deeply into the skin of her inner forearm.
Nari shrieked, bucking against his grip as her body fought against the pain. Her desperate, agonized sobs filled the room as he cut her again, and again, and again.
Soon she was unable to even feel it as he teased her open flesh with the sharp edge of the blade, cutting so close together that she honestly just had one big wound.
As her mind closed off and entered oblivion, she was able to force out one last thought.
Please... I can't last for much longer. Someone save me.
hello~
thank you guys for being patient with me as I dealt with some personal matters!!